2020 Tin Roof Gardens Hydrangea Edition

So here we are at the end of 2020. It has been, and continues to be a crazy year. The garden has been a great escape from the world and brings us a lot of joy. This blog is best viewed on a computer monitor or TV and not a cell phone. A cell phone screen is too small and you really can't observe the depth of the plants, the variation in flower and leaf color or their texture. So, take your face out of the phone, get on the computer or fire up a browser on your TV and take it all in. This is the 2020 Tin Roof Gardens Hydrangea Edition. Hope you enjoy it.

Arborescens hydrangea Annabelle in white with an Invincibelle Spirit II in pink. Along the back against the fence in the upper right you can see the Oakleaf in bloom as well.

Different angle of the same bed above but this time with the Oakleaf Harmony or Loaf of Bread Oakleaf. Its just a stunner with its massive flowers. They are smooth as silk to the touch. 

They are prolific bloomers when happy.

A close-up with a daddy longlegs spider in the center.

Another view to show the size and color variation. They get quite heavy when it rains so you will have to stake some limbs.

This is hydrangea macrophylla Lady In Red however she's very much in a purple mood.

It bloomed very well this year. Probably the best its ever looked. A very attractive lacecap variety.

A row of classic hydrangea quercifolia Oakleaf and Oakleaf Alice to the left. Alice is a larger, taller plant with stockier blooms.

This is classic hydrangea quercifolia Oakleaf. Always a winner.

A perfect classic quercifolia Oakleaf bloom. Mature plants can produce 14 inch or 35.56 cm flowers. Some are dense like the one to the left and others like the image below are more open.

This is another classic taken from the front garden. This plant is only 4 years old and is now 6 feet tall.

Although it doesn't look that large in the image, this is a colossal Oakleaf Alice bloom. The largest, fattest bloom we have ever had. 

As the blooms fade, the color change is seasonally variable. Sometimes we get very little color and they just fade to brown. This year we had nice pink shades.

These are small Alice blooms.

Alice tend to have slightly better color than classic quercifolia.

This is the first season we had quercifolia Oakleaf Snowflake blooms. What a gorgeous addition this is to the garden. It was a gift from a cherished family elder. We can't wait to see what this looks like after a few seasons of growth.

This is drawf quercifolia Oakleaf PeeWee. I've found that it takes a few seasons to get established before its starts to flourish.

The blooms are quite short and the plant only grows about 3 feet or 91 cm tall.

While we are on the dwarfs, this is hydrangea paniculata Little Quick Fire. We haven't had good pink fall color yet but it does bloom well as long as it gets plenty of sun.

Continuing with dwarf sun lovers, this is Bobo paniculata. This plant gets scorched in the afternoon sun and just blooms beautifully in mid to late July. Its compact so great for pots or containers too.

This Bobo paniculata is in a location that get periodic sun. Some morning, mid-day and a little afternoon. It still blooms well but not as good as the one above that gets more sun.

This was a new addition last season and bloomed quite nicely this year. Its a hydrangea macrophylla Zebra. White mopheads with serrated edges and black stems make for quite a contrast. It should be glorious next season.

Hydrangea paniculata Silver Dollar is a favorite. A relatively short paniculata with strong stems and large blooms. It was developed by the Royal Horticultural society in the UK. If you look behind it, that is paniculata Chantilly Lace starting to emerge.

Another image of Silver Dollar as it comes into bloom.

Hydrangea paniculata Little Lamb is always a showstopper. A prolific bloomer when happy, it never disappoints.

A close-up of the chunky paniculata Little Lamb blooms.

Hydrangea macrophylla Blue Wave finally bloomed after several years of growth. We had quite a color variation on the same plant.

 

From pink above to this nice purple. 

Nothing quite blue this year but perhaps next season.

Hydrangea paniculata Chantilly Lace is the latest blooming hydrangea in the garden. It blooms in late July and continues though August. Its a sun lover so do not plant it in a shady location. This is actually three plants wrapped around a split trunk beech tree.

Another view of Chantilly Lace. The flowers are very open and frilly so they don't sag when it rains.

A close-up of a Chantilly Lace bloom starting to emerge.

This is an odd paniculata LimeLight. Usually they are enormous plants with huge blooms but this one is planted along the walkway and kept trimmed. The flowers stay small and it looks nice with this cascade effect over the path.

Our Hydrangea paniculata Pinky Winky always blooms well but never gives us the two tone pink blooms its known for. I'm sure it needs more sun but I can't bring myself to move it. The burgundy stems are a nice accent. They are hard to see in this image but are noticeable when you are standing in front of it.

I don't know why hydrangea paniculata White Moth is not well known. Just look at this plant in peak bloom. Its striking. Its also visited by pollinators more so than any other hydrangea in the garden.

A close-up of the dainty White Moth bloom. If you have room in a sunny location, you should plant this one.

Last but not least, hydrangea macrophylla Nikko Blue.

This is Nikko Blue in pink.

And Nikko Blue in a flourish of blue, pink and purple.

Nikko Blue in front of a bed of Gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides).

An finally, we have our glorious Schizophragma hydrangeoides Moonlight with a lavender Angel Clematis growing up through it. Sadly the Oak it was going on died and had to be removed. We replanted portions of the Schizo base root in two locations but it takes years to recover and grow to this height. Maybe in 10 years I'll have another image to show. 

.

Summer Color on Display

The Phlox has been on a rampage this season. Sorry to say that the large Oak in this image died and this bed will be damaged when they take it down and grind the stump.

Another angle of the Phlox bed.

This is the back of the Phlox bed with yellow Black Eyed Susan, pink Loosestrife Lythrum, white Little Quick Fire Paniculata, and the glorious red Lobelia.

Lobelia, also known as Scarlet Flower is a vivid red showstopper. I finally found a location that it likes. I've grown it for years, moving it around the garden. Last year it did well in this location so I'm happy with the results. Hummingbirds love it. Keep it well watered as it doesn't like to get dry.

This is a more diminutive Lobelia speciosa Starship Scarlet. It produces pink and red flowers and only grows to about 2 feet tall.

A large bed of Black Eyed Susan's. Probably one of the easiest perennials to grow and happily self seed.

Phlox with Black Eyed Susan.

A large Phlox paniculata David on a relatively short stem. This is usually quite tall, around 3 to 4 feet.

Another nice Phlox David bent from a rain storm with Liberty Hosta at the base.

A nice bunch of Cleome hassleriana that have already gone to seed. Quite early and I'm not sure why.

Classic purple Echinacea.

Large leaf white Calla Lily.

Sum and Substance Hosta at peak bloom.

Russian Sage with a vivid red Crocosmia. Love these two together in the same bed.

Yellow and orange Crocosmia. 

Loosestrife Lythrum virgatum Morden Pink. Pollinators love this plant and unfortunately so do Japanese beetles.

A perfectly symmetrical Zucchini flower.

A large Zuchinni ready to harvest. This image is deceiving as this was a foot long monster.

Squash blossom and fruit. Botanically speaking, squash are fruits, as they contain seeds and develop from the flower-producing part of a plant.

The first Peppermint Schnapps Hibiscus blooms of the season. These are a little lighter pink that usual.

Cherry Choco Latte Hibiscus. These product very large, bright flowers.

A nice little bed of mixed Zinnia that reseeded from last year and grew on their own. The white blobs are a Bobo paniculata hydrangea.

This is a mishmash of plants that have grown outside the fence behind the garden at the forest edge. Cleome, Castor Beans, Basil, Iris and Digitalis. 

This is a short video showing the volume of pollinators on a White Moth Hydrangea at peak bloom. Click the little box in the right corner of the player to make it full screen. This gives you a much better view. 

This video shows a large bumble bee marauding through a Phlox. Click the little box in the right corner of the player to make it full screen. This gives you a much better view.